WEST NORRITON — Were she on any other team — in the Pioneer Athletic Conference, District 1 or the entire state — Courtney Hinnant would likely be a starter.

Problem is, the squad that Hinnant suits up for, Spring-Ford, has a starting lineup that is simply stacked.

With the sudden offseason emergence of players such as Shelby Mueller and Sammi Haas, Rams coach Jeff Rinehimer made the tough decision to bring the 5-foot-10 senior forward (who started most of last year) off the bench this season.

Rather than rebel, however, Hinnant has embraced the move — which has in turned strengthened Spring-Ford’s already formidable rotation.

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Friday night at Norristown High, Hinnant showed what she is capable of in helping the Pioneer Athletic Conference and District 1 champion Rams down District 3 No. 7 seed Hershey 59-41 in a PIAA-AAAA Tournament opener.

Despite not entering the game until 3:33 remained in the opening quarter, Hinnant contributed eight first-half points and provided a huge spark as the Rams bounced back from a sluggish start to take a 28-14 halftime lead.

Hinnant finished with 10 points as part of an ultra-balanced attack that also got 16 points from Sammy Stipa, 14 points from Shelby Mueller and 11 points from Brittany Moore and powered the Rams (28-2) to their 20th straight victory.

“I try to go in and help the team in any way I can,” said Hinnant. “Even though I’m not a starter, I still think I can come off the bench and do a lot of things to help out.”

Hinnant did exactly that upon entering the contest along with sophomore Maggie Locke with Spring-Ford up 9-4.

After the Trojans (21-6) got within 9-6 on an inside basket from Libby Nolan, Hinnant finished a nice look from Sarah Payonk to being a six-point spurt that closed out the quarter and put the Rams up 15-6.

Then in the second quarter, Hinnant showed her versatility — first scoring on a drive, then putting back a miss and finally knocking down to foul shots to close out the half and give Spring-Ford a 14-point advantage that got no closer than nine.

“She gave us a lot of energy when she came in,” Rinehimer said. “She got herself going. She gets around the basket; that’s what she’s good at. It (Hinnant as the sixth man) is what we needed for the team, and she’s done it all year.”

“I try to play defense, communicate, get rebounds and keep the team going, doing whatever,” said Hinnant. “When I come off the bench, I always want to pick it up, and if we’re doing somethign wrong out there, I do my best to fix it.”

Hershey, which got 13 points from guard Victoria Blackburn, closed within 35-26 when Nolan (11 points) followed Blackburn’s miss with 2:31 left in the third quarter.

But Stipa, a 5-7 junior guard and third-team all-state pick last year, caught fire down the stretch and the rest of the Rams followed suit.

Stipa had a three-point play and nailed a 3-pointer to bookend a run that closed out the third quarter and put the Rams up 44-31.

Then Moore opened the final period with a long 3 and 5-foot-10 junior Mueller began to wreak havoc inside as Spring-Ford closed it out.

“We came on a little bit better offensively in the second half,” Rinehimer said. “Hershey had really good quickness; they were tough to cover. We just tried to make (Blackburn) work, and I think we did that.

“I thought our bench did a god job. We struggled a little bit with some dry spells, but as long as you have the ‘D’ and they don’t get a huge run on you, that’s the important thing.”

No less important was the combination of balance and depth that carried the Rams into the Class AAAA bracket’s Sweet 16.

“I think it says we have a lot of all-around players that can do everything,” Hinnant said. “We all work really hard.”

From the starting five to the Rams’ always-ready reserve unit.

“It doesn’t really matter to me whether I’m starting or coming off the bench. As long as I can do something and contribute, I’m perfectly fine with that.”

NOTES

Payonk had a team-high nine rebounds for the Rams, who advanced to Tuesday’s second-round game against District 2 champ Wallenpaupack (21-4), which defeated District 11 No. 3 seed Parkland 43-40. ... Spring-Ford has won its eight postseason games by an average margin of 28.1 points. ... Haas left the game with a little more than five minutes left after midcourt collision with Hershey’s Bridget Kilgallen. She was helped off the court with an apparent rib injury.